NFL Rookies of the Month - October

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NFL Rookies of the Month - October

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RAMS RB TODD GURLEY & VIKINGS LB ERIC KENDRICKS

NAMED NFL ROOKIES OF MONTH FOR OCTOBER

Running back TODD GURLEY of the St. Louis Rams and linebacker
ERIC KENDRICKS of the Minnesota
Vikings are the NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Month for October,
the NFL announced today.

OFFENSE: RB TODD GURLEY, ST. LOUIS RAMS

Gurley,
the 10th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Georgia, led the NFL
averaging 144.3 rushing yards per game during the month. He rushed for 433
yards and two touchdowns in three games.

He
started all three games in October – his first three career starts – and rushed
for at least 125 yards in each contest. He is the first rookie in 10 years to
rush for at least 125 yards in each of his first three starts (CADILLACWILLIAMS in 2005).

Gurley
is also the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 125 yards in three
of his first four games to begin a career (BILLY
SIMS in 1980 and Williams in 2005).

He
rushed for 146 yards at Arizona in Week 4, 159 yards at Green Bay in Week 5 and
128 yards with two touchdowns against Cleveland in Week 7 (St. Louis had a bye
in Week 6).

With
his performances in Weeks 4 (at Arizona) and 5 (at Green Bay), Gurley became
only the fourth rookie in NFL history to rush for at least 140 yards in
consecutive games with both of them on the road, joining JOHN BROCKINGTON (1971), Pro Football Hall of Famer CURTIS MARTIN (1995) and MIKE ANDERSON (2000).

Gurley
had a 45+ yard run in all three games in October, including two runs of at
least 50 yards. He leads the NFL with three 45+ yard rushes this season.

He had
14 rushes of at least 10 yards during the month, the second-most in the NFL.

Gurley
is the third Rams player to be named Rookie of the Month, joining quarterback SAM BRADFORD (October and November,
2010) and EDDIE KENNISON (October
1996).

He is
the first Rams running back to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month.

Gurley
is the first running back to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month since Green
Bay’s EDDIE LACY (October 2013).

DEFENSE: LB ERIC KENDRICKS, MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Kendricks,
a second-round selection (No. 45 overall) out of UCLA, had 20 tackles, four
sacks and one pass defensed in October.

He
started all three games during the month – his first three career starts – and
had at least one sack in all three contests.

Kendricks’
four sacks led NFL rookies in October and are tied for the most by a rookie
this season. His four sacks were also tied for the most by a linebacker during
the month.

He had
five tackles for a loss in October, including at least one in every game.

Kendricks
had four tackles and a sack in Week 4 at Denver, his first career start. In
Week 6, he had a career-high 10 tackles, a sack and one pass defensed against
Kansas City. He finished the month with six tackles and a career-best two sacks
in Week 7 at Detroit.

He
joins KEVIN WILLIAMS (December 2003)
and DWAYNE RUDD (December 1997) as
the only Vikings to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month.

Kendricks
is the seventh player in team history to be named Rookie of the Month, joining
Rudd, RANDY MOSS (Offense, November
1998), Williams, ADRIAN PETERSON
(Offense, September and October 2007), PERCYHARVIN (Offense, November 2009) and CORDARRELLE PATTERSON (Offense,
December 2013).

2015 NFL ROOKIES OF THE
MONTH

​

Offense (College)

Defense (College)

September

QB Marcus
Mariota, Tennessee (Oregon)

CB Ronald
Darby, Buffalo (Florida State)

October

RB Todd
Gurley, St. Louis (Georgia)

LB Eric
Kendricks, Minnesota (UCLA)

Other
nominees for the October NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month Award as submitted
by NFL clubs: